Holden WB
Utility/van: | length = Cab chassis: Utility/van: | width = | height = Cab chassis: Utility: Van: | related = Statesman WB }} The Holden WB series is an automobile which was produced by General Motors' Holden in Australia from 1980 to 1984. It is a facelifted version of the Holden HZ series, which it replaced. Unlike the HZ and every other full size Holden series before it, the Holden WB was only offered in commercial vehicle body styles with no sedan or wagon passenger car variants. The long-wheelbase WB series models were marketed under the separate Statesman marque, absent of all Holden branding. Model range The Holden WB series was released in April 1980, the range consisting of two coupe utility models, a panel van and a cab chassis truck.Terry Bebbington & Michel A Malik, 45 Years of Holden, 1994, pages 72-74 The Kingswood panel van, Sandman utility and Sandman panel van models were not carried over from the HZ commercial range. The WB range therefore consisted: * Holden (utility and van) * Holden Kingswood (utility) * Holden One Tonner (cab chassis) The Kingswood utility featured a black grate style grille and rectangular headlights, unlike the more basic models which shared a divided grille with circular headlights.Holden WB Technical Specifications Retrieved from www.uniquecarsandparts.com.au on 16 July 2010 In August 1980, the base models received an update which gave them the same frontal treatment as the Kingswood utility. Plans to produce sedan and wagon versions of the Holden WB reached an advanced stage but ultimately were not pursued.Tony Davis, Ewan Kennedy & Alisator Kennedy, The Holden Heritage, Eighth Edition, 1998, page 59 These variant would have supplemented the new Holden Commodore models in the family car market. Statesman The Statesman WB range of long-wheelbase luxury sedans, developed by General Motors-Holden’s in parallel with the Holden WB series, was released in May 1980. Like their Statesman HZ predecessors, the two models in the Statesman WB range, the de Ville and the Caprice, were marketed as "Statesman" rather than as "Holden".Tony Davis and John Wright, Spotlight on Holden Commodore 1978-1988, (Including HSV and Statesman WB), 1994, page 9 File:1980 Holden WB utility 01.jpg|1980 Holden WB utility, with the early circular headlights. File:1980-1984 Holden WB One Tonner cab chassis 01.jpg|1980–1984 Holden WB One Tonner, with the late rectangular headlights. File:Holden WB Kingswood Sedan prototype (1979).jpg|1979 Holden WB Kingswood sedan (prototype) Powertrain A 3.3-litre inline six cylinder engine was standard equipment and a 4.2-litre V8 was offered as an option. The 5.0-litre V8 option was not carried over from the HZ range. Production The WB series was discontinued in late 1984. Production of the Holden WB and related Statesman WB models totalled 60,231 vehicles. No replacement for the Holden WB was offered initially,Terry Bebbington & Michel A Malik, 45 Years of Holden, 1994, page 140 bringing to an end a continuous 34 year run of light commercial models based on Holden passenger cars. This market segment would however be contested by Holden again from 1990 when the VN Commodore-based VG Utility was released. References Category:Holden vehicles by series WB WB Category:Cars of Australia Category:Vehicles introduced in 1980 Category:Trucks built in Australia